A missing 12-year-old girl has been found 600 miles from home with a man she is believed to have met online, who was arrested.
Maria Gomez-Perez was found safe in Dover, about 70 miles south of Cleveland, with Guatemalan citizen Antonio Agustin, 31, on Thursday.
The girl was last seen at the home of her father, Andres Gomez, on May 29 in Gainesville, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
She was reported missing the next day and her disappearance sparked a huge search with a $50,000 reward from local authorities and businesses.
Maria Gomez-Perez was found safe in Dover, about 70 miles south of Cleveland, on Thursday after she went missing
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said investigators believe Antonio Augustin drove to Georgia, picked up Maria, and drove her back to his home in Dover.
‘We believe Maria had been communicating for a time with Mr. Augustin via Facebook Messenger and other online apps,’ he said.
‘Maria had indicated she was unhappy and wanted to leave home. We also know she had been communicating with other adult males online, telling them the same thing.
‘Let me be very clear on this: Maria is the victim in this case. And remember, she´s 12 years old.’
Police finally got a lead last week after almost two months of fruitless searching, when she contacted her father using a new Facebook account last week.
Maria told her father that she was OK and not coming home, and asking him to stop looking for her.
Couch said investigators used that message to track down the Facebook page’s IP address, leading them to a phone number associated with a home in Dover.
Four sheriff’s investigators traveled to Ohio this week and spotted Maria at a city swimming pool.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Captain Adam Fisher said Augustin was arrested and Maria was rescued after Augustin drove the two from the pool to a Walmart in neighboring New Philadelphia.
Maria was found with with Guatemalan citizen Antonio Agustin, 31, who was arrested
Couch said Maria was examined by medical personnel and was in good health when he shared the ‘very great news’ at a press conference.
‘Maria Gomez-Perez has been safe in Dover, Ohio, and she should be on her way home here to Gainesville with our investigators within the hour,’ he said.
Volunteers canvassed the community looking for the girl and papered the area with posters, flyers and even billboards seeking her return.
‘It’s hard to put into words what we saw. I just really, really am proud of our community,’ Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon told The Times of Gainesville.
‘Our Hispanic community just really stood up and made their presence known and said, “Hey look, let’s shine a light on this missing child”.’
Maria was born in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and moved to the US with her father when she was six, while her mother stayed behind.
‘There’s not a way to feed your family. We didn’t have a home, we didn’t have property, we didn’t have work,’ he explained.
Maria was born in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and moved to the US with her father, Andres Gomez, (pictured) when she was six, while her mother stayed behind
Police finally got a lead last week after almost two months of fruitless searching, when she contacted her father using a new Facebook account last week
Officials in Georgia faced initial criticism in the search, in part because the Georgia Bureau of Investigation concluded that her disappearance didn’t meet the criteria for issuing an Amber Alert for missing children.
Many residents in the Gainesville area are Hispanic, coming to the city to work in its poultry processing industry, but most officials are not of Hispanic descent, which can create division.
Fisher said Augustin was being held on a Georgia charge of interference with custody, but Ohio officials could later seek charges of rape and other crimes.
Couch said Georgia authorities are likely to seek additional criminal charges against Augustin.
He said Augustin is 31 but Ohio jail records list him as 34.
Augustin had not yet seen a judge as of Friday and no bail had been set, Fisher said. Augustin doesn’t have an attorney who could speak for him.
An extradition hearing to Georgia is likely next week with Ohio officials planning to prosecute Augustin after legal proceedings conclude in Georgia, Fisher added.
Volunteers canvassed the community looking for the girl and papered the area with posters, flyers and even billboards seeking her return
Fisher said federal immigration officials placed a detainer on Augustin, indicating they could seek to deport him, but Fisher said he didn’t know Augustin’s immigration status.
Augustin’s only previous encounter with law enforcement in Tuscarawas County was in 2021 when he was cited for driving without a license and with an open container of alcohol.
Couch warned parents to watch their children’s online activity more closely to prevent them being abducted or running away with strangers.
‘Technology is a wonderful thing. It helped us locate Maria. But technology can also be used for evil,’ he said.
‘It’s why Maria was able to leave Gainesville with a stranger and travel nine hours away from home.
‘So please know what your children are doing and who they’re communicating with. They’re our most vulnerable and our most valuable citizens and it is our duty to take care of them.’
